Hi :) I just saw that you read Clemens Meyer, who writes mostly about the city I live in. I think it's fascinating how you are so far away (I don't know where you are, but I think it's not central Europe?) and read books that feel so intimate to me because they are so close to home. Tbh, I didn't even know Meyer had much of an audience outside of Germany. Anyway, this just struck me and I wanted to tell you how great I think it is that literature connects us. If you don't mind me asking, do you have any book recommendations about the place you call home? I would like to return the favour, in a way. Sorry if this ask made no sense at all and have a wonderful day :)
Hi, it was so so wonderful to read your message!
I’ve really enjoyed Meyer especially because I think he’s captured something about being in a city that’s so specific to where he’s writing about and it works so beautifully. It's honestly exactly what I want my writing about cities to do.
Something about where I'm from: there's No Presents Please by Jayant Kaikini, a collection of stories set in Mumbai, which is where I'm from. Most of the stories are centered on characters who are migrants to the city and that really opens up the book to thinking about what it means to be in the place.
I do want to point out that I unfortunately can't think of much fiction in English specifically on or set in Mumbai that I've loved as much or in a similar way to Meyer (and that alone is part of a much larger conversation about me and Indian fiction writing). No Presents Please has come closer than any other book, and I would love to know what you think about it.
